Dogs are quite unique creatures. They never fail to make us smile, they never fail to show us their unconditional love (dogs never pass judgment), they never fail to brighten our days no matter how horrible they have been, and that’s not even mentioning all the cuddles and kisses they’ll give you. (And yes, of course, all the slobber goes with that!) We could talk about our four-legged family members all day long. It seems sense that the most popular pet in the United States is man’s best friend.
Yes, God (or whoever made dogs) truly got it right. Nothing captures the amazingness of dogs better than “So God Made a Dog,” a compassionate and funny (and, quite frankly, so on point!) parody of Paul Harvey’s 1978 speech “So God Made a Farmer” that was featured in a Ram Truck Super Bowl advertisement in 2013.
When did God make canines?
And on the ninth day, God murmured, “They need a friend,” as he looked down on his wide-eyed offspring.
I need someone who will get up, give kisses, pee on a tree, sleep all day, wake up again, give more kisses, and then remain up until midnight, basking in the light of a television set, said God.
I need someone who will sit, then stay, then roll over, said God. Then, without ego or complaint, dress in headgear and costumes that they don’t require.
I need a male that can break wind without hesitation, who can chase tails, sniff crotches, fetch sticks, and who can cheer people up with a lick.
There is someone who will love you unconditionally no matter what you did or didn’t do, or couldn’t accept, or couldn’t win, or couldn’t make.
God said, “I need someone who can discover bombs and pull sleds, yet who is kind enough to adore infants and guide the blind. Someone who will spend the day curled up on a couch with a resting head and encouraging eyes to cheer up a heartbroken spirit.
It had to be someone who, while being alone, shown patience and loyalty. Someone to love, nurture, cheer, charm, snooze, hug, snuggle, nudge, eat the rubbish, and chase the squirtles.
Someone with the selflessness of an open heart who could bring a family together. Someone who, when their closest buddy says, “Let’s go for a ride in the automobile,” would bark, then pant and respond with a quick wag of the tail.
You should see the movie below because our interpretation of this poetry does not give dogs, a wonderful blessing, justice.
Why did God create canines?
I need someone who will console every human being and who will always be joyful, declared God as he looked down on his creation. I want someone to make friends with the people.
I need someone whose sole goal in life is to love, he added. someone who only finds joy in other people. Someone to lick up tears and prevent loneliness. I need someone with the remarkable ability to grin even in the most hopeless situations. Someone who can comfort both adults and children who are upset.
I need someone who can make people laugh even on their darkest days,” he remarked. Someone who can mend wounded hearts and fill empty ones. I need someone who is acutely sensitive to loss and grief and who will never be ashamed to express it. Someone who will never be hesitant to approach those who are in need or who are broken.
I need someone whose wet nose would gently rouse tired souls out of bed in the morning, who will accompany them to the kitchen and warm their feet as they sip coffee, the man stated. I need someone who will mop up milk spills and pick up crumbs from the floor. Someone who is a calming influence while settling in for a nap after a job well done and will polish filthy dishes until they glitter.
I need someone to gently encourage people to take care of themselves during the day, he added. Someone who will pleasantly prompt them to open the door so they can take relaxing strolls and breathe in the fresh air. I require a person who will aid others in fully appreciating my creation. Someone who will belly-flop into the lake and chase birds, providing tremendous amusement.
I need someone to play with all the kids, he remarked. a person who is never too busy to throw a frisbee or play catch. a person who enjoys chasing after balls and who never forgets to have an ice cream cone on the back porch. I need someone who isn’t scared to run through heaps of crunchy leaves or turn mud puddles into play areas. Someone who doesn’t mind being dirty.
“I need someone to guard the people, someone to warn them of danger and lead them away from it,” he stated. I need someone who is so committed to helping others that he has no concern about the prospect of losing his life in the process. someone who always prioritizes the welfare of others over himself.
I need someone who will be a secret keeper, he remarked. Someone who will always listen carefully, someone who isn’t scared to look hurting people in the eyes. I need a mediator that can carefully hear both side of a conflict before diverting everyone’s attention with cute antics that will make them forget about their differences.
“I need someone who will console the sick and dying,” he stated. Someone who will consistently serve as a source of friendship for the forgotten. I need someone to make sure that when people leave this world and enter the next, it is a peaceful farewell.
He was aware that people would suffer, form strained relationships, and lead untidy, chaotic lives. He was aware that they would require a perfect model of loyalty and compassion. And he was aware that they would require someone who would always welcome them home and love them without conditions.
Do dogs come from God?
A beloved member of my extended family passed away this week. Chief was a gorgeous, 11-year-old, 165-pound pooch. Chief was a gorgeous animal. temperamentally reserved. sweet. devoted. A member of our family, too. Seeing him leave was incredibly painful. Chief was not my dog; he belonged to some close friends, but his passing made me realize how important pets are to our lives. Pets reaffirm our faith in God and His creation. Chief’s passing brought to mind my own experience with animals who have been a blessing to me and my family. This blog is an update to one I first posted more than a year ago, but I still believe its theme and message are still relevant today. May we all find comfort in the knowledge that God demonstrates little snippets of His love via the creatures that encircle us and our family as my loved ones mourn the loss of their own.
I honestly don’t know if puppies go to heaven or not. This is not meant to be a blog that examines Scripture in-depth. Will our dogs eventually join us in heaven? I’m not sure, but I think I know the answer to that question.
My husband and I very deliberately chose to reenter intentional community with my family when we moved to Maryland. As a result, we share a home with my parents and live together. Living with my parents’ dogs is another benefit of sharing a life. My parents also owned a snake (I don’t know his name), a turtle they named “Florida,” some fish, and six dogs. They range in age, but I refer to them as “puppies.” Marley the Great Dane, Toby the basset hound mix, and Abby, Bess, Moose, and Chester the poodles are all present. No exaggeration, their difference in weight was from Abby’s 4 lbs. to Marley’s 164 lbs.
We are extremely happy that we got these puppies. The two youngest, Chester and Moose, are all white and resemble tiny lambs. I’m resolved to publish a children’s book about Chester and Moose’s exploits someday. They were constantly in danger. They would play in the nearby marsh and return home drenched in mud. They were a little slice of heaven, according to my father. It was quite enjoyable to see them play, leap, and bite tails.
Each of the other canines has a unique personality. The meanest one is Abby, the 4 lb. one. She groans and has consistently been cruel to Marley, the Great Dane who is 40 times her weight. She is in charge. Marley, a kind giant, served as the guardian. He would pursue us and kick the door open with his nose if I took the small dogs downstairs. He merely desired to be a member of the family.
We regrettably lost half of our pack. Chester was struck by a car in December 2012. The accident was tragic for the driver. Moose hasn’t quite been the same since it broke our hearts. We miss the two tiny white balls of fur running around everywhere!
We anticipated that Toby and Marley would depart shortly. They were probably over 100 in “dog years.” Toby got cancer, and he passed away while starving to death. It was time to say goodbye when we took him to the vet and was informed that there was nothing more that could be done. It seemed like losing a member of the family to say goodbye to him and the other people.
I shared Marley’s photo on Facebook following his passing. To be honest, there were times when I felt guilty for being so affected by his passing. Having pets at all seems like a luxury in light of the significant problems that plague the world today. Saying farewell is undoubtedly a loss, but I reminded myself that I needed to keep things in perspective. But after that, my friends and the people in my neighborhood were so tremendously soothing, and I started to have very important experiences. I received a gentle reminder that God gave us our dogs and the world around us as gifts. Animals serve as living reminders of God’s goodness, mercy, grace, and joy.
The following was shared on my page by my buddy Angel Cartagena. His comments were a blessing, and I was moved by a brief sight of God’s love for both His creation and me.
Mae: We are praying for you and your family. So few people truly comprehend the importance of pets in our families. In Proverbs 12:10, God speaks on this subject and says, “The righteous care for their animals, while the wicked are always cruel. (NLT) Consider this: when we take care of our dogs, we are being godly—other languages use the term “righteous.” And you may be sure that God will comfort you and your family if He cares enough to acknowledge your love for Marley. Godspeed, Sister.
These remarks impacted me very deeply. Through our puppies and other animals, but perhaps more so through my community, I feel God’s love.
We had a kind of verbal prenuptial agreement when my husband and I got married more than 12 years ago. It included some absurd obligations, such as the requirement that my husband adopt a Washington Redskins fandom. We both continue to be devoted fans of the squad after more than ten years. The final of my husband’s five promises to me was that “one day we would get a Great Dane.” 2013’s Christmas brought me the best present from my hubby.
Scarlett O’Hara Fisk, Katherine. named after the Gone With the Wind figure played by Vivian Leigh.
Scarlett arrived at our home at the age of 12 weeks and weighed 45 pounds! She has been a joy, and I am forward to watch her and I develop together as we celebrate the gift of the puppies that will follow Chief and Marley into the future. All of these priceless animals play, soothe, cuddle, and guard our family, and they will continue to do so. Animal gifts are a way for God to show off some of his grandeur right in our midst. I sincerely hope that everyone will experience such joy and such love.
Are dogs mentioned in the Bible?
Francis has previously stated that LGBT people “have assets and traits to offer the Christian community” and that evolution and the Big Bang are not in conflict with faith in earlier attempts to bring the Church into the 21st century (or at least into the 20th). However, he is blatantly courting dog owners, a considerably larger and more ardent following.
According to The New York Times, Francis informed a grieving young boy whose dog had passed away that “Paradise is available to all of God’s animals.” His comments were viewed as a rejection of the conservative Roman Catholic theology that holds that animals cannot enter paradise because they lack souls by the Humane Society and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (The article does not take into account the possibility that there are no living things because the concept of a soul is a creation of human imagination.)
Dog owners who worry that their pet would simply die when it passes away have been greatly relieved by this revelation. Authors of works like Dog Heaven, Even Bad Dogs Go to Heaven, Biblical Proof Animals Do Go To Heaven, Cold Noses at the Pearly Gates, and pretty much everything Jack Wintz has ever written are celebrating the Pope’s confirmation of what they’ve believed all along.
On Amazon, I couldn’t locate a single book that acknowledged that if dogs may enter paradise, they can also enter hell. (Some candidates are listed here.) Additionally, no one has thought about the implications of dogs in the hereafter; I guess there isn’t much of an audience for a book with a title like Stepping on Dog Slob for Eternity. However, dog-loving Christians who believe in heaven should think about these implications, especially how people will treat dogs in heaven.
Sacred writings offer some hints. The King James Bible has numerous references to dogs, some of which are listed below:
According to Revelation 22:15, those who love and tell lies are among those who are found outside, along with dogs, sorcerers, whoremongers, murderers, and idolaters.
Philippians 3:2 warns, “Be on the lookout for dogs, evildoers, and circumcision.
As a dog returns to its vomit, so does a fool return to his foolishness, according to Proverbs 26:11.
According to Luke 16:21, the dogs also came and licked the man’s sores while he was begging for food from the crumbs that fell from the wealthy man’s table.
“After whom is the king of Israel come out?” asks 1 Samuel 24:14. Whom are you pursuing, exactly? following a dead dog and a flea.
According to Isaiah 56:10, all of his watchmen are blind, illiterate, and incapable of barking. They also like resting and lying down.
But as it is stated in 2 Peter 2:22, “The sow that was washed [is] turned to her wallowing in the mire. The dog [is] turned to his own vomit again.”
Obviously, these are references to humans rather than actual canines. It’s a homophobic insult at times. I’m not an expert on the Bible, but it seems like the epithet “dog” is used more frequently than “whore” in the Bible. What does it say about how dogs are treated in paradise if being compared to a (vomit-eating) dog is about as terrible as it gets? Dog owners who are celebrating Pope Francis’ statements might think about whether their pet would be better off not ascending after all.
